lobbyist

noun

lob·​by·​ist ˈlä-bē-ist 

plural lobbyists

: one who conducts activities aimed at influencing or swaying public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation : a person engaged in lobbying public officials

The new rule says that if you were a registered lobbyist in the past two years, you can't work for the administration on any issue you touched. After you leave government, you can't lobby the administration at all.

—Jacob Weisberg

Because so many lobbyists have past experience on Capitol Hill, they usually have personal ties both to members of congress and to their key staffers, who vet and prioritize the earmark requests.

—Ken Silverstein

Examples of lobbyist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Joel Hand, a lobbyist for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, said that generally small rural school districts have the hardest time passing referendums, when taxpayers are strained the most, and suburban school districts have the greatest success. —Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 26 Dec. 2025

These firms usually offer much higher salaries than members are used to in Congress, which may explain why more than half of all living former members are lobbyists of some kind. —Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025

Former food lobbyist turned RFK aide, Calley Means, makes this argument regularly. —Yael Ossowski, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025

When federal agents arrested Greg Campbell, a prominent Sacramento lobbyist, last month on fraud allegations, his client, the city of Fresno, was quick to cut ties with him. —Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lobbyist

• hobbyist